Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-10-19
JOHN BROWNS DEATH.
Interview with Man who Saw In,
Famous AboIitionist Hanged.

Interview with Man who Saw the
Famous Abolitionist Hanged.
81 saw John Brown hung. said Mr..
john r. Entwisle, of this city, to the
Washington correspondent of the Cleve-
land Leader, day or two ago. "I was
present." he continued, Gas member OF
Ma ior Duffy's battery from Alexandria
Besides our battery there were the Mount
Vernon Guards and Alexandria Rifles
from the same town. presume we were
up there at Charlestown about six weeks,
for we were allowed pay for two months,
besides our food while there"
"Why were you there so longg" asked.
'The reason is we were expecting Brown
TO be rescued. We did not know but
strong forces would come from the North
to release the prisoner, aud some of the
time the troops on duty about the Charles.
town Jail numbered from fifteen hundred
to two thousand men,"
''Was any effort ever made to rescue
Brown"
"None that ever knew, though we ex-
perienced several alarms, and at times
were momentarily in expectation that
something of the kind would happen"
"Was there ever any reason for the
alarmsg"
"No, can't say that there was. except
the general impression that Browns
friends would make the attempt. He him.
self felt confident that he would be re-
leased, even up to the morning of the hang.
ing. was in the Jail the day before the
execution, and / heard him say that he
would not be hanged. But several times
we were called out from our beds to ward
off some attack that we supposed was
about to be made"
what would give rise TO such alarns:"
all -
picket duty, though we of the artillery
did not have to do much of that, and a
man approached i'm the darkness. CON-
manded him to halt and give the counter
sign, but instead of doing so he turned
and ran. fired in the direction he went,
and the firing of the gun aroused the whole
camp. Some such episode as that would
bring us all out of bed sometimes two or
three times night"
"Did Brown say any thing when he was
hangedg"
"The only thing believe he said was:
Isn't this a beautiful countryn He said
this as he looked about him on the way to
the scaifold. don't think he had anoth-
er word to saw"
"Did he meet death bravelyg"
HE certainly did. He was as calm as
man could be under the circumstances. II
MS NGlAlnthA dtoSt from MS DelleI In0t a
rescue would be effected, he must have
given up all hope when he saw how strone
was the guard about him. He could moi
see from the jail at all, for he was kept in
one of the lower tier of cells, and the win.
dows were several feet above the level of
the hoor, so that it was necessary for one
to so above before he could see out of the
windows"
"He was hanged, then, out of doorsy"
"Nes; in the middle of a large field.
He was taken there in a wagon drawn by
horse or n mule-I forget which-his
arms having been bound before he left the
Jail. When we reached the scaffold the
troops surrounded it, forming a hollow
square that must have been as large as an
ordinary city square. Brown was assisted
out of the wagon and up the steps, some
fourteen or fifteen, to the top of the scaf-
fold, and the proceedings that followed
were very brief indeed. / think nothing
was done but to pinion the old mans legs,
his arms having been already bound be-
fore he left tho jail; the black cap was
drawn down over his eyes and then the
drop fell'
''Did be die easily?p
"No, he struggled considerably. His
neck was not broken, or did not appear To
lie, by the fall. He was a large, mower
fuliy-built man, very stern-looking, and
gave evidence of his strong will and the
control he obtained over his followers.
His long, full beard was we'll streaked
with gray, and his hair was bushy, partic-
ularly on top. His body went North for
burial, being given to his friends. l can
tell you it was great relief when he was
hung, for the whole country round about
ChaTiestown was in suspense for weeks.
fearing that rescue would be attempted.
1t must have cost the State several thou
sands of dollars to maintain the military
guard there so many weeks. Those of
Browns followers who were captured
alive with him were hung in week or
two after, Cook and Coppey in the morn
ing and the other two-I have forgotten
their names-in the afternoon"